Love and Olive Oil

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Happy National Cookie Day! Did you know this was a thing, and just didn’t tell me? If so, shame on you. But if you’re pleasantly surprised, like I am, then let’s do our best to make the most of this day, starting with baking and eating lots. And lots. Of cookies.

Cookie season is perhaps my favorite time of year. And something about this year seems more cookie-filled than most. So when OXO® asked if I’d like to help make a holiday cookie in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, how could I say no? If you haven’t heard of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, it is a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. I’ll bake to that.

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Considering this was the first time I’d actually ever made biscotti, it may surprise you that I really do love it. My favorite part is that there’s no denying it is totally, 100% a cookie, but a cookie that’s perfectly acceptable to eat for breakfast.

Personally I believe all cookies should carry such a characteristic.

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

Biscotti are by nature very sturdy cookies (their crunchy texture comes from the fact they are baked twice; in fact, biscotti literally means twice-baked), and they are perfect for shipping or gifting. I think this orange and dark chocolate version is great when dipped in even more dark chocolate (isn’t everything?), but if you’re shipping to a warmer part of the country, you can easily skip that part.

Orange and Dark Chocolate Biscotti

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Ingredients:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks
6 ounces dark chocolate, melted (optional – for dipping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in orange zest, orange juice, and extracts. Slowly add flour, along with baking powder and salt, and mix until incorporated. Fold in almonds and chocolate chips.

Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a 2-inch-by-13-inch log. It may help to wet or grease your hands as the dough will be fairly sticky. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving about 3 inches of space between logs. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

When cookies are cool enough to handle, cut them into slices using a sharp serrated or bread knife. Arrange slices, cut sides facing up, on the cookie sheet, and bake for another 15 minutes, flipping cookies half way through baking. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container or zip-top bag for up to 1 week.

If you’d like to dip your biscotti, gently melt chocolate, adding a teaspoon or two of shortening if needed to thin it. Dip bottoms of biscotti in melted chocolate, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet until chocolate has hardened.

All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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46 Comments

  1. Can they be frozen?

    • Most definitely. If you freeze after dipping in chocolate the chocolate may get a little sweaty after thawing, otherwise you shouldn’t have any issues.

  2. Hi,can I omit the chocolate chips at all?

  3. These are easy and delicious! I used the full amount of flour but used twice the amount of orange juice and it was just right.

  4. Wonderful!!  The texture is great. I also tweaked this recipe to make cherry almond biscotti, dipped in chocolate of course! Yum!

  5. These came out so good!!! I used zest to sprinkle over the melted chocolate that I put on top of the biscotti. I come from a long line of biscotti bakers and these are excellent!

  6. These came up so good!!! I used zest to sprinkle over the melted chocolate that I put on top of the biscotti. I come from a long line of biscotti bakers and these are excellent!

  7. Made these last night and oh my they are tasty, my first time at making biscotti before (thanks to The Great British Bake Off for the idea). Thank you for sharing your recipe :)

    Chloe x

  8. I just made these and they turned out great! I’m not usually a good baker so saying this recipe was not hard at all is an understatement. I would have liked them to be a little more orangey, maybe I will put an extra tablespoon of orange juice in next time. But there will definitely be a next time for these!

  9. These look so wonderful, great job! :)

  10. Could we leave the almond flour/almonds out? We have nut allergies in the family.

    • There is no almond flour in this recipe, but you could substitute the almonds with something else. I wouldn’t leave them out completely as they do contribute to the texture of the dough – otherwise it will likely be too sticky and spread when it bakes. Any other nut should work just fine in their place.

  11. Just made them they smell GOOD!!!
    was I the only one who needed to add one more cup of flour??

  12. Tried and true! These came out delicious. Definantly going to recommend this recipie to beginning bakers. Being a health freak I made some slight changes though…Instead of adding a full cup of sugar, I added 3/4 cup. Also skipped out on the chocolate chips. Rather than dipping the biscotti in chocolate I drizzled some on :)

  13. I’m making these for Christmas baskets. How long will they keep?

  14. Hello guys,

    These biscotti look amazing…
    I was wondering, as per the recipe, can we replace the eggs with something else? I have egg-allergic kid at home.

    Thanks,

    Ritika

  15. I love that you included the outtake at the end! You guys are so cute!! I’ve honestly never made biscotti before but I’ve been meaning to!

  16. My last post was on Cookies for Kids Cancer.. I did their white chocolate and dried cranberries cookies. Love the sound of these dark choc and orange biscotti!!

  17. What a gorgeous dipped biscotti! Looks good enough to eat :)

  18. I never realized baking biscottis were so easy!

  19. I have a coffee right now so this biscotti would be perfect. Great video!

  20. Wow! Biscotti recipes are running rampant this morning :) I love the orange and dark chocolate flavor combination, it’s so Christmas to me! I can’t wait to try this one out. And I love that you’re so supportive of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. I received my OXO spatula for the cause the other day. It was such a nice surprise <3

  21. I love biscotti, too, and you’re right – it’s fantastic that they’re totally acceptable to eat for breakfast. Now if we could just start calling all cookies “breakfast cookies” we’d be set! And don’t try to fool anyone with the “optional” dipping chocolate – it’s absolutely necessary! I’ll be trying this recipe quite soon!

  22. I have oranges… and dark chocolate… now I know what to use them for ;)

  23. I just love biscotti! It’s one of my favorite things! Nothign beats dipping it in tea, coffee or hot cocoa. Your recipe looks wonderful!

  24. delicious! love the orange and choc combo!

  25. This looks so lovely. Great recipe and fun video!

  26. Can’t wait to try this recipe! It calls for 1/2 cup of butter, then 1/2 stick, but 1/2 a stick is 1/4 cup. Which is it? Thanks!

  27. I’m participating in our local branch of this sale this weekend! I LOVE baking, but love figuring out packaging and helping out this wonderful organization more!

  28. Wow, wow, WOW! I love the orange and dark chocolate combination. Dark chocolate is my FAVORITE! I’m so making these.

    Thanks, Lindsay! :)

  29. These look amazing! My parents love chocolate and orange together and now I know just what to make them:-) Thanks Lindsay!
    -Liza

  30. Orange and Chocolate are two of my favorite combinations–throw in a recipe of Biscotti and you’ve got me hooked:-D

  31. LOL “i creamed the sh!t out of it….let’s just start it over” you guys are so fun :)

    • Actually I think my precise phrasing was “creamed the h*ll out of it”. Haha. Luckily it was first thing and we could easily do a second take. :)

  32. biscotti are actually one of my favourite cookies. In fact I firmly believe that Italians make the best biscuits (you know, amaretti included!).

    ps. you guys are too cute on the video!

  33. These look great! I agree – Biscotti are so sturdy. I finished baking my last batch of Gingerbread Biscotti for #fbcookieswap this AM and can’t wait to mail them out tomorrow!

  34. Loving this!

  35. I Just adore you and Julie so much!

  36. Thanks for calling attention to a great cause…the video is fabulous…foreheads are overrated ;)

  37. These look fabulous. I LOVE biscotti and especially love to make it. I’ll try your recipe for sure!

  38. Had so much fun doing this with you!! Let’s do it again! ;)

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